Meet The Innovators: The New York Climate Exchange, SBU Welcome Climate Tech Fellows

Get ready to meet the future drivers of climate solutions.

The New York Climate Exchange ("The Exchange"), in partnership with Stony Brook University, announces the first group of Climate Tech Fellows. These early-stage innovators will help define new climate solutions.

Potential collaborators, including Stony Brook students, faculty and staff, are invited to meet the Fellows at The Exchange's Climate Tech Showcasetaking place on Governors Island on September 24 during Climate Week NYC.

"I am excited to see The Exchange launch its first Climate Tech Fellows cohort. This initiative shows our strategic vision to catalyze innovation and entrepreneurship to find solutions for the urgent challenges around energy and climate change," said Stony Brook University President Andrea Goldsmith, who serves as chair of The Exchange's Board. "These young minds, from our university network, get our ideas out of the university and into practice to help build a sustainable future for New York and beyond. We look forward to helping these fellows on their entrepreneurial pathway and to seeing the exciting technologies they are developing come to fruition."

"The New York Climate Exchange is committed to fostering a vibrant climate technology ecosystem," said Shaina Horowitz, director of program innovation and acceleration at The New York Climate Exchange. "When we empower early-stage innovators with the resources and mentorship they need to develop solutions for a more resilient urban future, we can accelerate their path towards impact for our city and the world."

Who's who

The Climate Tech Fellowship is The Exchange's first signature incubation program, built in collaboration with innovation leads, tech transfer offices, and research labs across the 11 university partners of the Exchange's partner network. An open call for fellows in April 2025 led to nearly 100 applications. The Exchange expects this new program to cultivate and speed up the development of climate solutions that can transition from lab to market and be implemented to address real climate challenges faced by New York City residents and urban communities globally.

Eight fellows, from six universities in The Exchange's partner network, are part of this inaugural group. The cohort includes professors, PhD researchers, students, visiting scholars and executives-in-residence, representing a diversity of perspectives and experiences. Over the next six months from September 2025 to February 2026, fellows will participate in a tailored climate tech venture curriculum taught by industry experts, be matched with mentors for one-to-one support, and receive non-dilutive funding, piloting support, as well as entry to the world-class climate tech ecosystem in New York. Collectively, they are developing innovations for grid resilience, hydrogen storage, coral restoration, and real-time wildfire and flood management, among other areas.

• Stephanie Taboada (Stony Brook University) - HySep is developing safe, scalable hydrogen storage to unlock the green hydrogen economy using existing gas pipelines.
• Charlie Mydlarz (New York University) - FloodNet develops tools for real-time, actionable flood monitoring to support community-scale resilience in urban neighborhoods.
• Fares Al-Lahabi(CUNY) - CarbonCLAIR offers on-site air filtration to construction sites, providing cleaner air for cities and in-situ carbon capture capabilities.
• Mauricio Hernandez Hernandez(Duke University) - GridSeer delivers an AI-driven software and analytics platform that enhances reliability, improves sustainability, and cuts costs for energy providers and large-scale users.
• Patricia Stathatouand Christos Athanasiou(Georgia Tech) - Yeast-enabled removal of micropollutants from water to provide safe, clean water following disasters.
• Shannon Parker(Duke University, working with Pratt Institute) - Reefcycle develops low-carbon bio-cement for coral restoration, coastal infrastructure, and the built environment.
• Ty Roach(Duke University) - Coral Reef Arks are a novel midwater reef technology combining science and scale to revolutionize coral restoration and build climate resilience for coastal communities.
• Xiao Liu(Georgia Tech) - Leveraging data and AI for real-time wildfire management.

See their work firsthand

The Climate Tech Showcase - on Wednesday, September 24, from 9 am to 11:30 am at Building 309 on Governors Island - marks the first public introduction of the cohort, and is part of Climate Week NYC.

Participants will connect with these entrepreneurs, as well as a slate of experts and ecosystem builders discussing how cross-sector collaboration unlocks innovation and the state of climate tech today. This showcase offers a first look at the Fellows' work and the sustainable future they are helping to advance.

"Investment in early-stage innovation helps address climate change," said Megha Mehdiratta, senior innovation associate at The Exchange. "The Climate Tech Fellowship helps this innovation, giving our fellows the support they need to advance their ideas and ensure solutions are purpose-fit, relevant and equitable. The Showcase is a platform for our fellows to engage with the broader innovation ecosystem, and shape a resilient future for our city and beyond. We are excited to share their progress and invite all to join us."

Come meet the fellows by registering for the event.

Before the showcase, the fellows will attend a half-day training workshop on Monday during Climate Week. This closed-door session will be led by facilitators from the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Scienceat Stony Brook University. This training is designed to improve communication and presentation skills, ensuring the Fellows are confident sharing their story and poised to connect and move audiences as they take the stage later in the week.

"Effective communication is crucial for any innovator, especially when presenting groundbreaking solutions to urgent global challenges," said Laura Lindenfeld, executive director of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. "Clear, empathic communication will be key as they prepare for the Climate Tech Showcase and engage with potential partners and funders to advance their impactful climate solutions."